Milwaukee-area
clubs held their tenth annual Distinguished Philatelist Appreciation Dinner on
March 9, 1996, at the John Ernst restaurant. Bill and Ruby Otto were this year's
honorees. They were selected for the honor because they have visibly and
repeatedly demonstrated an interest in stamp collecting and the development of
interest and enjoyment of the hobby among others.

The 1996 event was
hosted by the Germany Philatelic Society (Chapter 18), with Ralph West serving
as chairman of the Advisory Committee.

TRI-PEX STAMP FAIR '96 PLANS ANNOUNCED

The Italian
American Stamp Club, Polish American Stamp Club, and the North Shore Philatelic
Society of Milwaukee will sponsor TRI-PEX '96 on June 22-23, at St. Aloysius
Gonzaga Hall, 1435 So. 92nd St., in West Allis. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The bourse will
consist of 25 dealers from throughout the Midwest.

MARY ANN OWENS TO SPEAK AT WAUKESHA COUNTY PHILATELIC SOCIETY MEETING

Mary Ann Owens,
former Wisconsinite and WFSC Hall of Fame member, will return to Waukesha on
Thursday, May 30, at 7:30 p.m. to present a program at the Waukesha County
Philatelic Society meeting. Her presentation will be titled "Selecting Postage
Stamp Designs - the Role of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee." The meeting
will take place in the basement meeting room at First Financial Savings, 100 E.
Sunset Dr., Waukesha. The public is invited. Light refreshments will be served.

Owns is an
internationally known stamp collector, exhibitor, judge, and writer. We feel
very honored that she will be able to return to Wisconsin and present this
program for us.

In conjunction
with POLISH FEST '96 (June 21-23), the Polish American Stamp Club produced a set
of three different cachets commemorating Milwaukee's Polonia history. The
cachets are printed on the Old Glory postal card issue and feature the
Kosciuszko monument, St. Josephat Polish Basilica and the Milwaukee City Hall.
The cards are canceled with a pictorial post-mark noting Milwaukee's 150th
anniversary. For mail order instructions, contact, Polish American Stamp Club.
Box 1920, Milwaukee, WI 53201

MILCOPEX '96,
September 20-22, will be held in the Trademart Building (#741), at the Wisconsin
State Fair Park, Interstate 94 and South 84th Street, West Allis (Milwaukee
suburb). Show hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. on Sunday. The annual event is sponsored by the Milwaukee Philatelic
Society and traditionally was held at Milwaukee's MECCA.

The 1996 show will
feature over 2,500 pages of stamp exhibits and 60 dealers from throughout the
United States.

LAKE COUNTY PHILATELIC SOCIETY SELLING EXHIBIT FRAMES

The Lake County
Philatelic Society has 12 AMERIPEX frames to sell. The price is $100 per frame
and they are packaged two to a carton. A minimum purchase of one canon (two
frames) is required. Frames will be delivered freight-free within a radius of 50
miles of Grayslake, IL. Anything beyond this distance is freight-collect. If
interested, contact Dick Boysen at (847) 223-8502.

MILWAUKEE
PHILATELIC SOCIETY'S 1996 CIRCUS PARADE COVERS

Ben Barkin is
featured on the cachet of the Milwaukee Philatelic Society's 1996 circus parade
covers. The set of four multicolored covers includes a special cancel depicting
a clown and bareback rider. The MPS has issued souvenir circus parade covers for
each year 1971-73 and 1985-96. For information about how to order the 1996 and
past covers, write to: MPS Circus Cover, P.O. Box 1980, Milwaukee, WI 53201.

On June 20, 1996,
Art Menz and Dan Hammell were inducted into the Janesville Stamp Club's newly
instituted Hall of Fame. They were chosen for the honor because of their many
years of service to the club and efforts in promoting philately.

Menz and Hammell
were the first to have their names engraved on the club's Hall of Fame plaque.
Each year, one more name will be added.

WAUWATOSA PHILATELIC SOCIETY ANNOUNCES TOSAPEX '96

TOSAPEX '96 will
be held October 26-27 at Gonzaga Hall, 92nd Street and Greenfield Avenue, in
West Allis. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
on Sunday. The show offers door prizes and a booth for children. Visitors also
will enjoy free admission, good parking and the wares of 25 dealers. TOSAPEX '96
is the 31st annual bourse and exhibition sponsored by the Wauwatosa Philatelic
Society. This year's theme highlights Wauwatosa, WI, as the homeland of the
Pottawatomi and Menominee Indians 160 years ago. See p. 2 for a description of
the show and first-day covers and mail-order instructions.

The WPHS recently
completed a 421-page loose-leaf publication titled Wisconsin - Its
Territorial and Statehood Post Offices. It is the result of four years of
work.

The first part of
the publication covers the territorial post offices that were outside state
boundaries. The second part covers all counties within state lines. A map of
each county shows known locations of that county's post offices. The offices are
then listed with date of establishment, first postmaster's name, any
discontinued and reestablished dates, and the location if known.

Cost of the
publication is $25 (postpaid within the United States). Address mail orders to:
WPHS, N95W32259 County Line Rd., Hartland, WI 53029.

WISCONSIN EXHIBITORS AT MILCOPEX

MILCOPEX '96,
sponsored by the Milwaukee Philatelic Society, was held September 20-22, at
State Fair Park in West Allis. Congratulations to all the Wisconsin exhibitors
at this national-level show who won the following awards:

Vermeil -
German Occupation of Czechoslovakia - The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia,
by Robert Kaschalk

• APS Post-1940
Medal of Excellence

Silver - "Paid
3" Cancellations on Cover, by Ralattd Liebenow

Silver -
Communication by U.S. Mail in Jefferson County, Wisconsin - The First
Century, by Barbara Mueller

• Postal History
Society Medal

• MPS Wm. J.
Uihlein Trophy

Silver -
Federal Beer Stamp Issues, by Thomas Fiddler

Silver-Bronze
- The Eleventh Stamp of the Confederate States of America, by Gary Zink

Youth Vermeil
- HowWriters Use Flowers to Interpret Their Ideas, by Ellice
Miller